Schoolboy, 18, 'Shocked Beyond Belief' After He’s Jailed for YEAR in Hellish UAE Prison after Having Consensual Sex With Girl, 17, During 'Vacation Romance'
Dec. 11 2024, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
An 18-year-old boy sentenced to a year in a Dubai prison for sex with a minor, says he is frightened for his life.
The teen met and had consensual relations with a 17-year-old girl while on vacation in the UAE - RadarOnline.com has learned. Marcus Fakana from London was visiting the foreign paradise with his family, when he met and had sex with the teen, also from London.
The girl has since turned 18, but Fakana has yet to be released.
In the UAE, teens under 18 are not allowed to engage in sexual activities - even as it is allowed in Britain. The couple first met while staying at the same hotel with their families.
While the 17-year-old said the encounter was consensual, when the girl's furious mother found out about the fling, she called the local police.
Fakana was sentenced to a year in al-Awir, a maximum security facility which is also known as the Dubai Central prison for men. It's home to some of Dubai's worst criminals - including terrorists, murderers and rapists.
His family back home have been fighting for his freedom, and have enlisted the help of a group named Detained in Dubai to try to put pressure on the government there to release the teen.
The organization provides legal services to people facing criminal charges in the UAE.
Radha Stirling, founder of the group, told DailyMail.com she is shocked by the situation: "His life is being ruined. Here we have two British tourists who were on holiday in a consensual relationship and now one is going to jail.
"Dubai likes to market itself as a glamorous party destination, one for influencers yet they are jailing a British tourist for a something that would not be a crime in his own country and ruining his life."
Once detained, Fakan detailed how he planned to continue a relationship with the girl when they got home.
Questioned by police, he said: "We had a wonderful time together. We really liked each other, but she was secretive with her family because they were strict.
"My parents knew about our relationship, but she couldn't tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy.
"'They said they were taking me in for questioning but wouldn't tell me why. I couldn't imagine what for. I was frightened, and my parents were terrified."
Now, Stirling is calling on the British government to intervene: "Dubai police have the power to drop the case against Marcus and let him come home.
'Marcus is 18 years old, but faces the demise of his entire life for being intimate with someone in his same school year, who is his same age.
"This is where Dubai authorities need to be intelligent about their application of the law. Marcus had consensual relations with someone his own age, from his own country while on a short holiday. He does not deserve to be locked up in Dubai Central Prison for a fling."